


Dark Imagination

by PetiteMorte



Category: Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:15:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23850676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PetiteMorte/pseuds/PetiteMorte
Summary: A continuation off of Mockingjay that depicts the events between the end of the war up until the Epilogue of the story
Relationships: Katniss Everdeen/Katniss & Peeta's Children/Peeta Mellark
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

Months passed. For a while, I was able to keep up the illusion that the doctor was giving me help, but just being away from the war, from the games, was helping me alot. Haymitch eventually sobered up, but it was a long hard journey both Peeta and I helped him though. Peeta. The trama of losing his family was worse than pulling Haymitch back from the bottom of a bottle. He kept playing the 'Real or Not real?' game with us. Where was his mother? Dead, or not dead? His brothers? His Father? Everytime we would tell him Dead, not real. It took me a full month to convince him they were gone, then I never saw him for an entire month. We could hear him though, bashing through his house, breaking things. Eventually, it went quiet.

I remember it well. I was out tending to the Primroses he had planted all along the side of my house. I'd decided each individual flower was a different person that had helped me out. The taller they were, the older the person. Of course, I couldn't name each and every one of them, so I'd started making signs, putting them behind the flowers for the ones that meant the most to me. Prim, Finnick, Cinna, Rue. On this particular day, I was making signs for each of Peeta's family members, carefully writing each of their names in fluid letters, making sure to try and get each ones personality through. For once, I didn't hear him approach, just felt his arms around my shoulders as he sat behing me, head resting against the back of mine. I swallowed, lowering my eyes as I lifted on hand to stroke the back of his head. I already knew he was trying hard to piece himself back together, so I let him sit there in silence.

"You're writing names for everyone?" Peeta finally asked. His voice was hoarse, almost breaking with the strain to keep from crying.

"Just for the people who meant the most to me. It'd be impossible for me to remember everyone. To get all their names down." I tell him. "I thought I'd add your family in here. They deserve a nice place to rest. Right beside Prim and all the people I loved."

I felt Peeta shift behind me, moving so he can rest his head on my left shoulder, to watch me. "Heard anything from your mom?" The question is laced with more than the simple meaning it has. I know what he means. Is she coming back? Ever since the war ended, she's been in District 4, though we've been trying to find different names for them, to pry them away from those old days, but its one thing that seems to be sticking. In the six months that have passed, I've only heard from her a couple of times, and a handful of them were me caling her.

"Not recently no. I called her a couple weeks ago. She said the Hospital was up and running, that they were really short handed because so few knew how to heal. They've got citizens from all over Panem there." I try to keep my voice level, but the thought of her never returning home has left a hole in my heart. One almost as big as the one Prim left, but that one has started to heal. I know she's not coming back. Not ever. Buttercup helps me out though. The cranky old cat seems to radiate her all the time, and I wonder if this was why she wanted me to keep him alive? Incase something happened to her and he was all I had left.

"Maybe we can go and visit her one day. When they've fixed the railroad and the trains?" Peeta offers.

I drop the paper I'd been working on, looking upwards as I take a deep breath. I'd never thought of this. Since the railroad had been destroyed during the war, during the riots, I'd never thought that one day I could go and visit her. To actually see her. Sure, there were Hovercrafts, but those had been reserved to moving patients to and from District 4. When a patient was well enough to be returned home, that's how they were transported, though some wished to stay and help. We all knew relocating citizens some where they were unaccustomed to was not a good idea, and over populating the area was even worse. Still, I knew why they were allowing the well to return home; staying in a house that belonged to the dead just seemed wrong. One day though, when Panem was rebuilt and well, people would begin to move around, taking shelter in those homes.

I turn my head in the direction of our old village. Since the return, many District 12 citzens, along with the help of those in other Districts, have beguin rebuilding the village. They first built houses, with a majority of the people staying in the Victors Village with us. Peeta and I had offered our homes, to allow people to stay until they had a place of their own, but no one took our offer. Neither of us are sure why, but we decided it was for the best, what with some of our mental break downs. Haymitch had offered too, but even his offer was declined, and he was more stable than us. So the remaining nine houses were packed to the brim with people, and the rest either took shelter in the District Building, or found a place in town to take shelter, though there really was none. Now, they're building shops in the square, trying to make it seem more like a village. Instead of having the shop in your home, its a separate building. At first, this had baffled people, confused them even, but over time they accepted the idea with open arms.

"Maybe. But not right now. I'm not ready." I tell Peeta, letting my head drop to look at the papers laid out before me. "How are you?"

Now its Peeta's turn to remain quiet. Just like his, mine is loaded. How is he dealing with the death of his family? With the nightmares? The Hijacking? Us?

"Better." He finally breaths out. "Better." I turn my head slightly to look at him, and find that he's looking at me too. "It was hard. Accepting their death." His voice is low, eyes flicking away from me. "But I think I've come to terms with it."

"And the Nightmares?" I feel like I have to voice that one. Peeta's brows mesh and I can tell he's having troubles.

"Some of them are from the Hijacking I think. Some of them just don't seem real enough to have been true. But still. They're frightening, and there's nothing there to make it better. To make them go away. You?" Now his eyes return to look at me. Instead of answering, I just shake my head.

"I'm surprised I haven't woken up the village with my screaming." I wisper. "They're so vivid for me. Things that I know are real, because they're almost like memories."

"Do you think we'll ever be how we were before?" Another loaded question.

This time, I stay quiet a moment and think. I want to answer it properly, to give him a full answer. Will we ever be the way we were? Can we go back to that? "I dont think we will be the same, but we could be." We could go back to how we acted during the games. We could try that. As for before the games ever took us, before the war, I know we can never go back. Too much has happend. Too many things keep us awake at night, screaming their hatred at us.

"I'd like that." Peeta says. "Do you miss him?"

"Not anymore. I miss having him around to hunt, but I think having him away has done some good. I dont think he'll ever come back though. Too many painful memories for him here. He's needed in District 2, the same way my mother is needed and will never return." I tell him. "It's better this way. Allows us to grow apart, to become friends again."

Peeta nods, and I feel him retracting from me. This makes me turn to look at him, but he's simply risen to his feet. "I guess we should check on Haymitch. Make sure he hasn't killed himself or something." There's a slight smile on Peeta's face, like he knows Haymitch wouldn't be able to do that.

I laugh, rising to my feet so I can entwine my fingers in his and walk to Haymitch's together. When we get there, the doors wide open, the sound of feet and grumbling eminating from it. Confused, I release Peeta from my grip and peek around the corner. What I see surprises not only me, but Peeta who has followed my lead.

Inside sits Annie, belly enormous as she slowly rubs it, a small smile on her face. Haymitch is pacing up and down the living room in front of her, one hand on his chin as he mutters to the floor. Timmidly, I knock, but Annie has already noticed me and her smile widens more. For some reason, she seems so different than to how she was when I'd met her in District 13. Haymitch snaps his head up to look at us, surprise clouding his face.

"Oh, Katniss. Peeta." Haymitch says before looking momentarily back at Annie. "Come in, come in." He motions us in, but the two of us stay glued at the door. This makes Haymitch grumble and roll his eyes as he comes over to us, grabs us by the scruffs of our collars. "Don't look so petrified, I'm sure you guys have seen worse."

What on earth does he mean by that? Is she diseased? I shoot Haymitch a questioning look, prompting him to roll his eyes again. I look over at Peeta just as we're shoved closer to Annie. Peeta simply smiles and shakes his head. Obviously I'm out of the loop again.

"I'm sure you both remember Annie." Haymitch says, motioning towards her. She doesn't say anything, just nods enthusiastically before giving Peeta a slightly concerned look and covering her ears. Never mind, she's exactly the same.

"Oh no no Annie. Peeta's better, I promise." I say, kneeling down and placing my hands on her knees. "Trust me, if he does anything that scares or hurts you, I'll knock him out myself and drag him far away." This makes her perk up and timidly remove her hands from her ears. My eyes fall from hers to her stomach and I quickly get up, unsure of how to take this.

"So." Haymitch says, breaking into my thoughts. "Annie here has informed me that she is..." Haymitch trails off a moment, trying to figure out how to break this to me nicely. I've noticed Peeta already knows what's going on, since he's brush past me and is talking to her in a low voice, knelt down with one hair hovering questionly in the air. "well she's expecting."

My head whips away from Peeta to look at Haymitch. Apparently my expression makes him carry on. "She needs some where to stay. Some where she can be looked after until the baby is born. Then we will find a place for her to stay. She's already informed me she does not wish to go back to her District."

"Why not? My mothers there, she could help you with this." I sound petrified as I know what this entails. She'll most likely be staying with me, and me and babies do not go together. Me and pregnant people go together even less. I look at Annie, who's now smiling down at Peeta as he slowly runs a hand over her bloated belly.

"Too many painful memories." I'd expected Haymitch to say this, but instead its Peeta. Suddenly I understand. She too, is like my mother. Unable to bring herself back to the place where everyone she loved once resided. My eyes go to Peeta, wondering if he's the same. Or was.

I press my lips together, searching the floor for answers. "So where is she going to stay?" I ask, already knowing the answer to my question.

"That's what I was trying to figure out before you two arrived. I knew that asking Peeta, no matter how great he may be, would be more work than is needed. Annie's not exactly you're biggest fan." Haymitch says, but we all already know this. At first, she'd liked him, been warm to him, but then the Hijacking got to him and scared her off. Even now, this was a big step for her. "Then I concidered you. Minus the screaming, you have some medical knowledge, and she seems to enjoy your company. But..."

"But I'm no good with kids." I finish.

"No. You're good with kids. Babies on the other hand." Peeta corrects me. I give him a confused look and he continues. "With your sister and Rue, you seemed just fine. Yeah, they're really not that much younger than you, but they're still kids."

"Exactly. Plus I wasn't sure how you would handle a pregnant woman and all that she needs. You're father was around when your mother had you and Prim. And I dont think I'd be of any help to her. Not that I'm hanging onto a bottle for dear life anymore, but still." Haymitch goes back to rubbing at his chin.

"So that leaves us where we started." I say. I lower myself to the ground, crossing my legs as I try to think. Even if she did stay with me, and I figured out how to take care of her, the screams would scare her and take sleep from her. Even if her and Peeta got on eachothers good side, there was still the chance the Hijacking would take over and he would hurt her. To be honest, I really saw nothing wrong with Haymitch. As long as he thought about being a Mentor again, I was sure he could keep her alive. But maybe that was the problem. Being a Mentor again meant he had to think about the Games again, and that was one thing we were all trying to get over, trying to remind ourselves no longer existed.

"Well..." Peeta spoke up, breaking the silence. "What if her, me and Katniss all stayed at Katniss's house? I could help Katniss with the nightmares." Peeta looks over at me, and for a moment our eyes connect, remembering all the times on the train. "She could help me with my relapses, and together we could make sure she was alright. You could help out too, by coming over to visit every so often to check up on us." Peeta offers.

I have to admit, I like his idea. We help eachother our with our terrors, maybe even patch up our relationship while we look after Annie. I look to Annie, eyebrows raised in question. I can see her thinking this over, so I speak up. "I'll make sure Peeta never has the chance to hurt you. I can take down a list, with the help of Haymitch, to make sure anything he does that scares you is fixed, and never happens again." This makes her cover her ears, but her face looks questionly at me. "And we can try to keep the screams to a minimum." I tell her. "I'll even take it outside if needed." This makes her smile, lowering her hands.

"Well, I think we have that set up then. And she does talk, she just needs to warm up to you is all." Haymitch says. "I'll put on some tea for us."

"I'll go and get a room set up. Better to do it now." I say, rising to my feet. Peeta's on his just as fast.

"I'll go with you. You might need a little help."

I nod, taking his hand in mine as we make for my house. As we leave, I can hear Haymitch muttering something about keeping up a farce, or something like that. Maybe he was meaning we aren't in the Games anymore? At my door, I stop, one thought clouding my head. Where to put her? All this time I've been staying in my room, Prims door tightly closed so I wouldn't have to look at it. I was afraid to let her have my mothers room, in case she returned. She wouldn't though. It was pointless to keep that room left unattended.

"You ok?" Peeta asks.

"Yeah. Just trying to figure out which room I want to put her in, but I think I've got that covered."

To be honest, my mothers room is spotless. She was always such a tidy woman when she wasn't having one of her moments. There's nothing in here that needs to be moved. Anything she may have wanted, I took with me to Thirteen, and she took with her to Four. Peeta and I stand in the doorway, looking around. Me more than him. I can feel his eyes upon me for the longest time.

"How about I go and make sure everything else is ready for her arrival?" He asks.

"Yeah. Might as well grab some of your stuff to bring over. I'll make room in mine for you." I tell him. My eyes meet his, and for a while we stand there, waiting.

Peeta gives my hand a squeeze. "Ok. I'll be right back then." My hand slides from his, and he's gone.

I almost feel stupid, like I believed we could get right back into that groove so quickly. The hand holding was a big enough jump all on its own. I busy myself by going through my mothers drawers, her closet, which are all almost bare. She must've returned her after the war, before my arrival to grab some things. Besides a few shirts and night gowns, the place has been stripped. I make a mental note to myself that we will need to return to District 4 as soon as possible to retrieve some of Annie's things for her. That'll mean Haymitch will need to babysit for a couple of days, since even that short trip will most likely be too much for her. I return to my room. Though I don't have much, I still busy myself with moving all my clothes into one drawer, with making space in my closet. I'm sitting on my bed, eyes fixed on the closet, thinking about how I never used to have more than two outfits until I came here. Then with all the money I had, I'd managed to get us a few more. Peeta walks in then, a bag slung over his shoulder. For a while I don't notice him, then he throws the bag at me, and I'm quickly snapped from my daydream as I catch it. The look I shoot him is not friendly.

"Welcome back." He says with a laugh, but for a brief second, I can see it. That Peeta that is not my own. It flickers there light a dying fire, and then its gone.

"Thanks. I was lost for a while." I open the bag, stuffing my hand in it, like I'm expecting it to be for me, even though I know better. I fake an upset expression when I realize its all his things.

"What? Were you expecting something?" His look of anxiety looks real. I can tell he's searching his thoughts for something I'd requested he bring over, but he wont find anything.

"No. I was just looking for a reaction." I smile widely, pulling open an emptry drawer and dumping his things in it. "Though, one of those cheese buns would've been nice." I say, throwing the bag back at him.

"Oh. Yeah I suppose I could've grabbed you one of those." The moment he says it, my face drops. He made some? Or was he simply pulling my leg. "Do you want one? I made them yesterday when I decided I needed to toughen up."

"Yes!" I almost scream the word at him as I jump up from my bed. "How many did you make? How many can I have?" I question, rushing up to him. Its almost as if he knew I would want one, his motive to make them.

"Lots. You can have them all if you want, just don't make yourself sick." He's giggling as he leads me down the stairs to the door so we can go over to his house.

For all the baging and crashing I'd heard over the past month, the house looks cleaner than I'd imagined. Still, glass litters the place, chairs are toppled, debrit covers the floor. I can tell he righted the table, though its been pushed against a wall. He must've broken a leg or two off. On top is a pile of cheese buns, and I immediatly lunge at them. While I'm chewing, the question breaks free. "Did you try to clean the place up?"

"A few times, yes. But then I'd just get angry again. I wonder if its better to just leave it a mess?" Peeta ponders. I ponder it a moment too, but decide he can't.

"How about this; we try to clean it up once a week. If you feel the need to throw and break things, then it can be like therapy for you. Or we can clean it up, then when you get upset, you can come over and destroy it all over again. It can be the one place you can go to release energy, since you can't hunt." A small smile twitches on my lips.

"Sounds better than simply leaving it alone." Peeta nods, righting a chair so he can sit down. "Though I really don't think the table can take much more."

I look under it. Sure enough, one of the legs has been busted off. My eyes search the floor looking for it, but I can't find it. I find the tv, looking spotless and perfect amongst the mess. "Try the tv next. I'm surprised that survived the hurricane."

"I left it alone incase something came on." I know what he means though. We're both so used to telivised propaganda coming from the screen, that its a little hard to forget about it. To get used to the fact that it will never come back.

"Sometimes I sit infront of mine, expecting something to pop up." I admit. "Updates on how Panem is fairing. Maybe something from the Hospital. A glimpse of my mother."

Since the rise of the new President of Panem, there has been nothing on that screen. No update. No news. Nothing. Surely, she's more focused on the rebuilding of the country, but sometimes we wonder if she's simply keeping us in the dark about what's going on. Sometimes I wonder if its easier that way. To keep us from seeing that Panem has really spiraled into Chaos. The thoughts always remind me that its better to have the news than none at all.

"I'm not expecting any of that. I honestly don't know what I'm expecting on it. I just feel it needs to be left alone." Peeta tells me. He has no one he expects to pop up on the screen. If anything, I'm sure he's hoping no one he knows shows up. Not my mother. Not Gale. No one. The fewer deaths he see's, the better he feels.

Deep down, I know that's the same way I feel.


	2. Chapter 2

By the time Annie moved in, it was almost dark. Neither Peeta or I had gone back to Haymitch's place after we were finished at Peeta's. Something told us not to, for whatever reason. We were both nestled up in my bed, not quite used to a normal sleep pattern, when we heard the banging at the door before it swung open. I was the first to jump up, expecting a raid of some sort. Slowly, I scooted myself to the top of the stairs, peering around to find Haymitch helping Annie inside while he looked around. Peeta was on my heels by this point, and I relaxed to help welcome her.

"Geeze where'd you two scramble off to?" Haymitch's tone was irritated, but I could still hear the slight joking tone to it.

"Well we fixed the place up a bit, then I went over to Peeta's to help him grab some things to bring over. Since he'll be staying here until..." I trail off, instead opting to gesture towards Annie. Haymitch gives a slight nod, as if he doesn't believe us entirely of that, but decides not to comment. "Your rooms going to be up here Annie. I know its probably not good that its upstairs, but all the rooms are." I try to give her a sympathetic look, but really there's only five stairs separating the upstairs from the main floor. Its better than Haymitch's, which has an entire flight of stairs.

Annie smiles, shaking her head. I'm not sure what this means, but I take it as her telling me its ok. "Thanks for taking her in." Haymitch says. "Honestly, I'm not sure what I would've done if you'd said no. I mean, I would've kept her yes, but I still wouldn't have known what to do."

"I would've offered no matter what." I know what kind of step that is for Peeta. Knowing how unstable he still is, how scared Annie would've been. "Unless I was still crazy, then I wouldn't be here." Peeta trys to make it sound like a joke, but we still remember vividly what that time was like. I remember it most. How much it hurt and frusterated me to see him like that. Haymitch meets my eyes and for a moment I wonder for whom it hurt more? Me, the person who was slowly making a romantic connection to the boy with the bread, or Haymitch, the man who'd mentored the two, watch them grow together only to be torn apart? Some how I felt it was Haymitch who had been hurt more by that. Knowing he couldn't do anything to fix it.

"Oh yes. I'm sure if you were still like that they would have you detained." The moment its out I instantly regret it.

"Mutts." Is all Haymitch says as he shakes his head out the door, only to pop back in. "Annie, you know where I live. If these two go insain, you come right on over and I'll take them both out. Bury them with the Primroses." The moment Haymitch says that I'm instantly furious. He has no right to talk about my flowers that way.

Peeta rests a hand on my shoulder, seeing how upset this has made me. "He meant it in the nicest way possible Katniss. Remember when we first met him?" I know this is Peeta's attempt to make me see reason. When we'd first met Haymitch, neither of us particularily liked him. Me more so than Peeta, who'd actually tried to befriend the man. He'd been rude, childish, and seemed to act upon the impulses of his drink more than anything else. Over time I'd learned this had been more a barrier than anything, to keep himself from growing attached to the children his guidence would eventually kill.

"Yeah. Sorry. I just don't like anyone mentioning them in such a way." My reason? Because the last thing I want is to connect those flowers, bearing the name of my late sister, with death. Instead I want them as a sign of rememberance and beauty, to remind me that no matter what, they will always be there. I walk down the stairs to Annie, taking her things before I take her hand to guide her up the stairs. "Here, allow me to show you to your room, and around the house a little. The bathrooms right here." I point to the door just at the bottom of the stairs to my right. "And your room will be the one at the top of the stairs there." I say pointing to it as I take her up the stairs. "The one beside it is my sister Prim's." I stop, not sure how to continue for a moment. "She's not here anymore, but I cant bring myself to disturb it yet, so if you want to go in there, I just ask that you don't touch anything and to make sure to close the door behind you." I smile at Annie to show her I mean no harm, that its just something with me. Her reply is to place a hand over her heart, and the other over mine. "Yeah. Its a bit of a heartache for me." I hold the hand she has on me before I point down the hall to the only other room. "That one down there is my room. Its also where Peeta is going to be staying. If you need us, that's where we will be."

I go into my mothers room, placing her things on the bed, deciding it would be better if she unpacked than me. "Some of my mothers clothes are still in here, but you're more than welcome to use them. You probably don't have many clothes, so the first opportunity I get, I'll go and get your's from home." Annie grabs my wrist, provoking me to turn around. She's shaking her head, which makes me a little confused. "You don't want me to go and get your clothes from home? You don't have to come. I was just going to go with Peeta." I tell her, but she's still shaking her head. I give up, nodding along with her. "Alright. I wont go and get your clothes for you then."

"You can have my mothers clothes." Peeta's been so quiet, I'd almost forgotten he was still standing at the top of the stairs. "I've come to terms with the fact that she's not coming back. She'd want me to give them to someone." Peeta presses his lips together, the first indication that he's trying to push past this. To let her go.

Annie see's this, and for the first time she speaks. "Thank you." Her voice his a little high pitched and squeaky, but its cute all the same, matching her some what childish personality all together.

"I'll go and collect them for you tomorrow. Katniss and I can go and get them before you wake up, since we will probably be up before you, then when you wake you can go through them." Annie nods again, then turns to the bed.

"You're probably tired. I'll leave the kitchen light on so that you can see the stairs and get to the bathroom." I quickly race down the stairs, flicking the kitchen light on for her. "Don't worry about turning it off. This way you'll always have a light for when you need the bathroom. We'll let you sleep. I'll make you breakfast in the morning, so take your time getting up." Annie just nods again. Obviously those two words took a lot of effort to get out of her. I doubt we will hear her voice anymore for the next while.

Peeta and I return to our room. Its odd, being in such close proximity to him again, and he seems to notice it. "Almost like we're getting ready for another round of the Games huh?" Peeta asks, arms around me as we get ready to sleep.

"Except Effie isn't here. And neither are our Stylists." I point out. My fingers find a stain on his shirt I assume was from baking the day prior.

"If we want to go there, neither is Haymitch. He's close, but not in the same proximity as the train."

"He's not even the same person. Even when we tried to wean him the first time." We both laugh at this.

"Alright. Haymitch isn't around anymore. He's been replaced by a clone."

"You mean a mutt? Then neither of us are here either. I distinctly remember you calling me a mutt, and then Haymitch calling both of us mutts. Well, he called you that twice." I look up at Peeta who's only meshed his brows down at me.

"I remember him calling us both mutts, but not me calling you one. When was this?" A surprise. I'd assumed he'd remember things from his Hijacking. Maybe he did and decided to suppress a few?

"When we first brought you back. You were still heavily under the influence of the Hijacking. You tried to strangle me, and the next time you were awake you kept telling everyone I was a mutt created by the Capitol. That faded though, as you started to remember. The first time I talked to you, you realized I wasn't a mutt, but you also told me I wasn't much."

"Is that better than being called a mutt?" Peeta sounds confused by this, like he's not sure why either would be a better comment.

"Concidering how you were acting back then, its a huge improvement. It hurt yes, but its better than being called a mutt." I grab at the spot, letting my fist close around the fabric.

Peeta kisses the top of my head, startling me. Is he trying to patch things up that quickly? Or is there something more? "I promise never to intentionally call you a mutt. Ever." Peeta promises. Maybe it was just the mood that brought the kiss on. It was harmless all on its own. Nothing significant.

"I think as long as my Peeta sticks around, I don't care if you call me a mutt. Haymitch does and it doesn't bother me. If I know you're joking of course." I do need to leave those days behind me. The days during the war when he was more unstable free than he was chained to a bed. "Do you ever slip back into those moments? Where you hate me?"

"Not in a while. I did once when I was locked up in my house, but it was brief and when I first locked myself away. Having something around to prove its fake, that this is real helps." For a moment I'm shot back to when we were invading the Capitol, Peeta in cuffs. I'd tried to take them off him, but he'd said they helped to keep him sain. That must be what he means. Instantly my hand grabs at one of his wrists, twisting it back and forth in the dim light. There are a few faded scars, but those were from the cuffs. Nothing new. "Don't worry. I'm not hurting myself. Not intentionally."

"What do you mean not intentionally? Where did you hurt yourself?" I ask, looking back up at him. I don't like the idea of him hurting himself no matter what the reason is.

"When I was throwing stuff around in my old house, I smashed one of the mirrors and cut my foot. That's what stopped the relapse, because I realized what I was seeing was real, that those images of you weren't. That you weren't one of them, but the one in the Games who'd returned to help me from death's door, who was going to sacrifice herself so I could win the Games." Now my eyes are looking down at the blanket, almost as if I can see where his foot is.

"As long as its not intentional, I suppose its ok." The fact is, I'm glad he remembered those moments when he brought himself back, instead of me dropping a Trackerjacker nest almost on him. Instead of drugging him to go and get medicine to heal him, or half a dozen other times that wouldn't have helped the cause. "Do you remember all the times we were together?"

Peeta's quiet, searching his mind to see. "No." He whispers. "Some of them still don't seem real. They still have that shine to them, but I don't know if they're affected, or if that's how they were to begin with."

"Maybe one day we can sort through them and figure out." I say in a hushed voice as I snuggle close to him, ready to pass out.

"I'd like that."

For a while, I dream of only happy times, but I know those never last long. At first they're memories, happy ones, sad ones. The one I remember most vividly is the one that turned into a nightmare, propelling me awake as a scream rips through my throat. It was when Peeta and I were in the cave during the first Games. When he was injured. I was dreaming of us laying together, having fallen asleep during my watch. The next thing I knew, I was being dragged awake as the Careers found us, bound us, and dragged us out to the Cornicopia to allow our deaths to be recorded without anything blocking it. I was screaming for them to save Peeta, but he was the first they used for target practice.

I bolt upright, screaming his name while Peeta keeps his arms wrapped around me. He sits up mere seconds after me, calming me down with soft words, petting my head. I lean into him, gasping as I try to keep the tears down. Its at this moment I realize which person Gale was talking about. When he'd said the person I would choose would be the one I couldn't survive without. I can't survive without Peeta. Without knowing he's some where I can keep him safe. Where I don't have to worry about him. Frantic, I turn to look at Peeta, echoing the words I'd said when I'd broken my foot. "Stay with me."

He doesn't hesitate, just repeats the same words back to me. "Always."

And I know. No matter what, he will. No matter what happens, my Peeta will always come back to me, always find me. He will always be with me, fighting to stay by my side. But he no longer needs to fight. Nothing will keep us apart anymore. Nothing. I nod, allowing him to lay me back down as I turn into him, forcing my eyes shut, willing my mind to think of something nice for me to dream about. Something that doesn't involve me losing him, no matter how absurd the dream may me.

But I don't get that salvation. My mind instantly returns me to the scene I'd woke up screaming to. The only thing that has changed is who they're aiming their knives at. Peeta looks like he did back in the cave. Sick from blood loss, but free of holes from the knives. As I process this, my stomach begins feeling weird. Sickish almost. I don't want this either. I don't want the boy with the bread to lose me either. Did Gale's words hold more meaning to them? Was it not simply who I couldn't live without, but who I knew I didn't want to have to leave behind? Who I didn't want to have to survive without me. My eyes turn away from the Peeta in my dream, instead facing the Careers. I know this is a dream. I know it. But even then, the sharp feeling I feel when the knife hits my chest seems real, and the darkness that follows seems worse. The way Peeta screams my name is worse.

This time when I wake, I'm not screaming, just panting hard, forehead wet with perspiration. Peeta's looking at me, hands moving methodically through my hair. "Have another bad dream?" He asks, voice low. I nod my response, afraid of my own voice. "Me too. I'm glad you were here when I woke up though."

"Me too." I choke out, and the tears silently stream down my face. "Me too."

"What did you dream of?" He asks.

"The first time, I was dreaming about our time in the cave. I'd fallen asleep during my watch, and when I woke up we were being dragged away by the careers. They took us to the Cornucopia and were going to use us as target practice until we died." I swallow, getting ready to explain the rest when Peeta connects the dots.

"And they used me first. That's why you woke up screaming my name."

I nod in response. "When I went back to sleep, it continued from the Cornucopia, only this time their knives were trained on me. And I knew I didn't want that. I didn't want you to have to watch them kill me, because I didn't want to leave you behind. But I told myself it was a dream, and that they weren't actually hurting either of us. But it still felt so real. The pain I felt with the knife, the way your voice sounded when you screamed my name, the heaviness of the darkness that followed."

"You can't survive without me. Real, or not real?" Peeta asks. The sudden question shocks me, but I see he's drawn the same conclusion as me.

"Real." I whisper, and this time when our lips meet, I know its not too soon, that there's no hidden meaning behind it.

We've found our groove, and I'm not falling out of it again.


	3. Chapter 3

Peeta and I hadn't realize how far along Annie was until Haymitch was pounding on the door, ready to take her to the hovercraft that would transport her to the best Hospital in Panem. District Four. The place where my mother was. I bound down the stairs, grabbing Haymitch by the shoulder. He didn't even hesitated, didn't give me enough time to get the words out. "You're not coming. She's still got enough time before the baby is to be born. We're just doing this as a precaution."

"I want to see my mom though!" I said, sounding as if he got the wrong idea. I felt Peeta's hand strong upon my shoulder. He would stop me if I got out of hand. I retracted slightly at the thought.

"No means no. We don't need another mouth to feed over there. Especially one that wont be helpful right now. When she's expecting the baby, we'll send for you, and not a moment sooner." Haymitch led Annie out of the house. I wouldn't bother chasing after him. He may be old, but he was a fighter, a survivor, a Victor. Nothing would change that. Nothing could change that. Not his past, or his future.

Peeta and I started playing 'Real or Not Real?' to help pass the time. When we weren't doing that, we started to take up hobbies. He was spending more time over at my place, filling his free time with cooking extravagent meals while I spent mine out in the woods. It almost felt like home here. One thing was missing. Gale. I'd tried calling him once, but he refused to answer the phone. That proved it. Whatever we had, was gone.

I sucked in my bottom lip, plopping to the ground as I wrapped my arms around my knees. I only ever ventured out into the woods near Victors village. No one would tell me this was illegal. No one would try to stop me from entering the woods. Not that anyone had tried before the Peace Keepers arrived during the war. At this moment, I felt betrayed. Gale had always been like a big brother to me, and now even that connection was gone. Everything was going to hell, even though all the bad things seemed to be over. Perhaps that was a good thing? I'd long since stopped going to the woods by my old house, for a few reasons. The village was rebuilding itself faster than I could keep up with, but a few places were left un-touched. One area, was where my old house once stood. They'd used the medow to create a memorial for those who had lost their lives during the war, going as far as to even bury the remains of those found. Going there just brought back bad memories. Even if I could make it past there, the forest would remind me of my past. The District 8 citizens I'd met, and learned of their death. Of Gale and I hunting. Of the Avox that I met at my first Games. People I didn't help, and people I did. In the end, they were all dead.

My hearing must've been damaged at some point after my left ear had been fixed, because Peeta sitting down beside me startled me out of my thoughts. At first, he didn't say anything, just stared off at the sky through the trees, before letting out a deep sigh and turning to me. "You really should teach me the ways of the hunter one day." The smile that played on his lips hinted towards a joke, but it still sounded serious. I shook my head.

"Can't have you knowing how to shoot projectile's like a pro. That's my job, remember?"

"Yes." Peeta looked away, nodding as his brows raised. "I remember you coming back from our first test during the Hunger Games. They asked what you had done, and you hesitated before saying you'd shot at them." I stifled a laugh.

"I didn't shoot at them. Not intentionally anyways." I was grinning from ear to ear by now, remembering that time.

"Effie had been beside herself. I swear, she would've dropped dead if you hadn't told her you shot an apple out of the pigs mouth that was near them. She still blew a gasket." Peeta shruged.

"Until she saw my score." I pointed out. Peeta's smile faltered.

"Yeah, I'm still surprised you got a score that high. I mean, you shot an arrow at them. Wouldn't they have given you the worse score ever?" Peeta's attention returned to me. Now it was my turn to shrug.

"Why did the Career's enlist you to go after me?" I questioned, raising my brows. This was to prove a point. To prove why they would give me such a high score.

"Because I told them I'd help them find you." Peeta muttered. "If they spared my life long enough to find you, I'd help them. They found you to be a big threat."

"Well, they were right. Look at what I did! I enlisted a traitor onto my team,"

"Hey!" Peeta interrupted, instantly knowing who I was referring to. I rolled my eyes in response.

"And together, we beat the system, won the Hunger Games together, and started a revolution." I finished, leaning back on my hands as I looked out into the distance. "I was the biggest threat around, and they had no idea."

"You have no idea, the impression you give." Peeta said. I looked down for a moment, before looking at him. He'd said those words quite a few times to me before, and it was always before something big happened.

My head slowly moved up and down again as my eyes looked to my knees. Finally I understood what he was getting at. "I suppose you're right." I manage. "Everyone else could see it. Maybe not from looking at me the first time, but through my actions. Cinna saw it when I Volunteered to take my sisters place. The Game Maker saw it when I shot an arrow at the apple. Haymitch saw it with how stubborn I could be."

"No, I'm sure that was when you stabbed the table." Peeta flinched away from my swing, giggling.

"Fine. When I 'stabbed the table'." I air quoted his words. "And the Careers saw it when I got scored. The point is, everyone could see it but me. Everyone!" I was flabber gasted by this point. How could I have been so dense, as to not notice this. "When did you notice?"

"Long before anyone else obviously." That was all he said before I raised my brows at him, urging him to continue. "Probably like, every moment I ever saw you doing something different. Singing, looking at Dandilions, playing...starving." His voice dropped off at the last word. "I think that was the biggest moment that I realized it. Seeing you in the rain, looking like you weren't going to make it. All those memories just crashed down around me, and suddenly I didn't care if I got thrown in the fire because of something I did. You proved to me that a little can go a long way. And here you are now."

"Thank you." The words escaped my mouth without me knowing. Not until they were finally out anyways. "For the bread." I studdered, trying to recoil. "It saved my life."

"It saved mine too! I would be dead in a ring if it weren't for you." Peeta sounded bewildered, like he couldn't believe the impact such a small act could have. "Speaking of food, I came to get you for supper. Lets hope its not burning by now."

"I'm sure we'd smell it if it were. And still eat it. No point waisting food." I grunted as I rose to my feet, helping Peeta to his. Sitting on the ground in the middle of the woods made it near impossible for him to get up on his fake limb. I stopped a moment, eyes fixed on the imposter limb he called a leg, then onto my hand which was still holding his. We were both mutts in our own way. My skin looked how it always had, minus a few scars that were visible only from certain angles in certain light. His on the other hand, was almost always noticable. He didn't need his cane anymore unless he was walking on unfamiliar ground. Gravel, dirt, wood. All that he was fine with. Grass and moss on the other hand, not so much, but his cane was no where in site. "Did you come here without your cane?" I questioned, sure it was just hiding some where.

"Yeah. Thought I'd try to get used to the ground out here. I'm surprised you didn't hear me coming. I fell down a couple times." I gave Peeta an incredilous look as I lead him back to the house. He just cracked up at that.

Later I found out the reason I hadn't seen him with it since we returned to District 12 was because he'd smashed it during his month-long fit. On accident of course. Rage had fueled through him over the loss of his limb, and he'd thrown it against a wall. I made a mental note to myself to find a make-shift one for him until a replacement could be found. Evne then, I wondered why Haymitch wasn't already on that.

We were sitting in the kitchen, eating quietly when the television buzzed to life. At first, Peeta and I sat stunned, eyes transfixed upon it. Had all that happened been a dream? The Capitol's crest was vivid upon the screen, and fear boiled up inside me. Until Lyme's face popped up, then I was relieved. But why was she on a local broadcast? I looked at Peeta confused, and he returned the look. So we were both in the same boat.

"It is with great Honor, that I announce the rebuilding of Panem, into a unified state, divided into Thirteen Districts of equal value." This confused me more. What did she mean by that? "Starting today, every District will work together to make sure that they are up to standards for us to move forward together. My goal, is for every District to be stable and self-sustaning in case of emergency by the end of the year." That gave us four months. It was almost August now. "Until then, every District will be expected to trade certain amounts of their products in even amounts, to the remaining Twelve Districts. Payment to workers will be in goods until January, to which we will have figured out proper wages for each type of work.

"By January, we also hope to have the railways up and running again. This will bring about faster trade, as well as more job opportunities for the citizens of Panem. Citizens are also free to travel between Districts as they see fit, and create homes in which ever District they so desire. Children under the age of Eighteen will be given free Education, as well as healthcare. Citizens above the age of Sixty-five will no longer be required to work, and will also recieve free healthcare, paid by the state. Anyone between the ages of Nineteen and Sixty-four will recieve free heathcare so long as proper taxes are paid from their wages. The following jobs will also recieve free heathcare; stay at home mothers, nurses and doctors, members of the military or peace keeping agency, miners, and the remaining living Victors, so long as they choose to accept it."

Peeta and I looked at eachother, unsure of what to say. This meant that all the wealth was to be spread around. We would all get electricity, working showers, soap, food. Luxuries that we'd only experienced in the Capitol.

"Further more, from taxes, any surplus will be distributed amongst the Districts, starting with the poorest, and working upwards until ever District is concidered equal, then it will be distributed evenly. This money if for the citizens of each District to decide the purpose for. It is not in the hands of one individual to decide the use of, unless the collective decides upon it. Next, a good majority of the Capitol will be left as Vacation area's for Citizens to use. Citizens must rent houses for a specific period of time in order to use them. Lastly, a poll will be taken from now, until January, to decide the fate of previous Hunger Game arena's. If voted yes, they will all be destroyed. You cannot vote for some to be destroyed and a few to remain. If voted no, they will be left, but altered so that nothing may hurt anyone, and certain area's are untouchable. You may vote in person by coming to the Capitol, or by phone at..."

I turned to Peeta. "I'm voting yes." I spit out. This takes him by surprise. He must've thought I was going to vote no. To have them remain there. "I don't want to be able to visit a place where I can revisit every moment of those horrible Games. Where I can vividly remember Rue's death."

Peeta concidered this for a moment. "I agree. But keeping them means we could make conditions. We could ask that they no longer be a tourist attraction, but a place for the children of the future to learn about our history, about the things that had once happened. They wont be able to see the deaths, to reinact them. They'll only know that this was an arena where people fought to the death. Where only one could survive."

Peeta brought up a good point. Lyme did say that they would be altered so that no one got hurt, so that certain area's would be untouchable. That meant no one would be able to touch the area Rue died. They'd only be told of her untimely death, how I tried to avenge her, and went on to win the 74th Hunger Games with Peeta. I rubbed at my eyes, removing the tears that had gathered there. My answer was still the same, and I shook my head to prove that. "I agree with what you are saying, but I still don't want them to exist. Just knowing they are there makes me angry and sad. The children will still learn about them in their books, and I'm sure we have more than enough footage to fill a five-hundred page book with images. They don't need the arena's to prove that what happened, happened. They don't need them to learn."

"Then I suppose we see which side wins?" This almost sounded like he was upset with my answer, but he continued. "Even if they are destroyed, I wont be mad. You have a point. They don't need to be there for them to learn. Even if they stay, I have a point too, and I'm sure you wont be mad. Upset, yes, but not mad. I'm sure for years, you wont go and visit them, but when you're an Eighty year old woman, hobbling along, I'm positive you'll want to go back to where Rue said good-bye and let her know you're comign to see her soon."

I bit my lip, concidering this. At the moment, that sounded painful. Returning to that horrible place. But it also sounded like something I would do. Hadn't I told Gale I wouldn't kill anyone? And yet, I'd killed a handful of kids during my first Game. Many of the things I said and did contradicted eachother, and this was no different. "You're right. I probably would if they were still standing. So, if the trains aren't up before voting ends, shall we phone in our answers?" I asked. I knew we both wanted to voice our opinions and idea's to Lyme in person, so that she had them to concider. I felt like she would take them to heart, and put them into motion. Surely she too, would not want them to stay standing. And if they did, she would want certain area's to be protected from outsiders. A reminder to herself of a lost friend. Only certain people would be able to enter the arena's. I just wondered how they would go about that. Make it seem like they too are tributes? I stopped myself there. If there was another way into that arena, some one would have discovered it during a Game. Which meant the only way in, or out, was through our pods. Who would stand on mine to re-live my Game? Who already had? Or had anyone?

"Sounds like a good idea to me." The phone ringing made both of us jump in our chairs, but Peeta was on his feet before me, picking up the phone. He nodded at it, agreed, then his face went pale. He hung up so fast it sounded like he'd slammed the phone down, then he was at my side.

"Annie went into labour early." And suddenly, the world around me was cold.


	4. Chapter 4

Peeta and I were on our way to District Four in no time. I was nervous being in a Hovercraft. Too many times it had been on my way to the Games, or to war during the Revolution. I searched Peeta's face, but he seemed perfectly content, like this was how we travelled all the time. He noticed my eyes on him though, and turned to smile at me. I couldn't help but smile back, even though my insides were turning.

"She'll be ok." Peeta said, taking my hand. Maybe he thought I was scared of her dying or losing the baby? That was part of it. I was also afraid to see my mom.

It had been eight whole months since I last saw her. What if she didn't want to see me? What if she blamed me for Prim's death? Maybe it was my fault. I bit the inside of my cheek. It wouldn't help much, but it was enough to snap me out of that thought. It wasn't my fault she was gone. I'd told myself this thousands of times since I'd seen her die. There was no way I could've gotten to her, and got out of there quick enough to spare us both. I'd barely escaped with my life when I'd tried to get her. My mother wouldn't have been well enough to open a Hospital up if both her children had perished then. My mother wouldn't even be running a Hospital right now if we'd both died. Coin would've gotten her way, and would be ruiling Panem with an iron fist right about now. I'm sure almost nothing would've changed, besides how each citizen spent their day. I groaned aloud, though I ment for it to be mental. Just the thought of that regimen made me want to off myself.

"You ok?" Peeta asked, his hand tightening around mine. "Do you feel unwell?"

"No. I was just thinking about something." I told him. "It wasn't a very plesant thought, and I'm glad it never got the chance to happen." Peeta raised an eyebrow at me, obviously confused about this. "District Thirteen had this daily shedual it would give to each of its residents. It was mandatory that you did everything on that shedual when it said. I was just thinking about if I hadn't offed Coin and she had implimented that through out Panem."

"Well, I guess we wouldn't be on our way to District Four right now if you hadn't." Peeta let out a small laugh. His way of lightening the mood. "I'd probably be in a straight jacket in some padded room, and you would probably be some where convinced you're insain or an animal or something."

"Oh haha. If anything you'd be the one thinking you were an animal and I was out to skin you." I elbowed his arm teasingly. "I'd probably be dead. The moment she had enough power, she would've figured out a way to off me without starting another rebellion. You would be in the lap of luxury."

"Why? She hate you that much? And I doubt I would be in the lap of luxury if she thought I was insain." Peeta didn't sound convinced by my words and looked towards a window.

"Yeah. She did actually. She wanted to save you from the Games instead of me. But they knew I would have a much bigger impact on the Revolution than you would, so they convinced her to grab me. They tried to get you out too..." My voice trailed off long enough for Peeta to look at me, but I continued before he could interrupt. "If anything, she would've used you as an excuse for my death. Then she would've made it seem like you'd been locked up until they'd poked and prodded your brain to being normal again. Of course, she'd have you shower in gold and eat off of granite or something." I rolled my eyes at the thought.

"I wouldn't kill you." Peeta's voice was soft.

"You tried, but that wasn't you, so I agree. She wouldn't get you to kill me. She'd do it herself and say it was you in an unstable state, that you'd been apprehended at the scene and were now being detained until they cured or killed you." I elaborated a little, since I'd apparently confused him. "But you wouldn't be in a dungeon. Just some where the public eye couldn't see you while she pampered you."

"I see." Peeta didn't sound happy by that. "I would've killed her for you then."

This time I looked at Peeta confused. Or shocked. I felt a little of both running through my brain, so there's a good chance it was both popping up on my face. "When I found out, I'd kill her, even if it meant I'd die for it. Trust me Katniss, where ever you go, I'll always try to follow. What ever you do, I'll try and mimic."

I laughed. I couldn't believe this was coming from the boy with the bread. "You're right! You probably would! I'd say we're both about as stubborn and thick-headed as it gets. My personality just makes me seem more brash than you. I think you're the real instigator here."

"Oh, so I started it?" Peeta laughed.

"Yes, actually, you did." I stated. It was only at this moment that I decided he had started it. "With announcing that you liked me."

"I think you started it." He replied. "When you volunteered for your sister." Peeta pressed his lips together. We'd hardly spoken about her since she'd passed away. Thinking about her had gotten easier. Hearing someone talk about her, not so much.

"I don't really think that was meant to start anything." I say. "I was just trying to keep her from getting killed in a blood bath. She would've freaked out the moment she was actually in there and either stepped off the plate early, or stood there petrified until someone took her out."

"I think Rue would've helped her." Peeta counters. "Rue wouldn't have let someone the same age as her get killed that easily. She would've paired up with Prim the moment the game started, got them as far away from there as possible, and hid for as long as they could."

I smile. Peeta was right. I was also right in a way. This just proved my point of him being the instigator, the better Mockingjay. But he was right because Rue wasn't that kind of person. She wouldn't leave someone behind who was just like her. She would've tried to save Prim as long as she possibly could, and Prim would've matured enough to help keep them both alive. "Thanks." I whisper. I turn my attention to a window.

The world below looks foriegn compared to the last time I'd been in a Hovercraft. All that remained down there were a few houses, rubble, and burned fields. Snow would be coming soon, and for the first time, I was glad. It would burry all the pain beneath its thick blanket, and when it finally went away for the summer, all that would remain was new life. Plants, flowers, sapplings, everything that covered up what had happened here, allowing us to heal. Then I saw it. District Four. Its waters streching out far and wide. I felt myself start to shake. Nervous. That's what I was. There were many things in this District I was afraid of. Seeing my mother again. Facing Annie, or not facing her. That thought made me stop shaking entirely. What if we got there and she was dead?

"It'll be ok Katniss." Peeta told me. I focused my attention on him. "Whatever's going through your head is wrong. Everything will be ok. Annie and the baby will be ok. Your mom will be ok and she'll be happy to see you."

I nodded, forcing myself to believe his words. "Ok."

It wasn't ok. Not really. The moment we were off the Hovercraft, I bolted for the Hospital. Peeta was close on my heels, not letting me slip beyond his reach. The Hospital was packed, but not as much as I would've assumed. Most of the patients had probably recovered from their wounds and returned home. What was left was the worst of the injuries, or newly recovered citizens from the looks of it. The building was a make-shift Hospital, but from what I could tell, it used to be for fishing. There were lots of rooms, but the majority of the first and second floor were wide open. In total, there were five floors. I assumed this was the tallest building out of all the districts, so what ever it was used for, must have been important. I started to think about this. The main floor could have been for deliveries, concidering the giant door at the back of the building. The first for collecting and sorting fish...the rest I assumed were for different levels of cleaning the fish, the last to have it packed and put onto a Hovercraft for transportation. It was shut down and remodelled now, so I would never know.

Haymitch lead us through the building like he knew exactly where to go. He probably did though, since he'd brought Annie here, then returned to get us. Why, I would never know. Perhaps from having spent so much time with her, he thought we felt connected to her? He was right if that's what he'd been thinking. I kept worrying about her and the baby. How far along was she? Last I saw her, she looked about ready to deliver a cow. Who knew Humans got so big when housing something so small?

We ended up on the third floor, and my eyes instantly locked with my mothers. She looked shocked, worried and then concerned. Of the three I didn't know which was worse until my hands were on her shoulders and I was speaking. "Where's Annie? Mom where is she?" It was that same tone I'd used when I told her not to let Prim starve when I was murdered in the Games.

"Why did you bring her here?" My mother looked past me to Haymitch, who was already pulling me away. I fought against him, slipping from his grasp before Peeta had a hold on me.

"Tell me where she is!" I screamed. Why was I fighting so much to see her? Right. Because of Finnick. The one person who had tried to help me when I hadn't trusted him. The man who had gotten me so far, helped me out so much. I was so happy to see him married, looking happier than anyone possibly could given the circumstances. And then he sacrificed himself so that we could change Panem. The man who would not grow old with his wife, and would not see his child. That was why I was worrying so much.

"She deserves to see her." Haymitch told my mother. "She's been looking after Annie for the past six months, and she was friends with Finnick. The last thing you can do is tell a Victor no."

My mother looked at me hard for a moment. I'd stopped struggling against Peeta. He proved stronger than I'd given him credit for. Apparently tossing bags of flour over his head was like tossing a kitten, what with the way he was restraining me. I took a mental note not to under-estimate his strength. And to be wary of it.

"Just make sure she doesn't get in the way." This was the first time I'd heard my mother use my tone. The tone that meant she was going to kill you if you didn't listen to her. I started at her back, wide-eyed as she lead us down the hall. Well, lead Haymitch and Peeta. Peeta practically dragged me down the hall, I was too stunned to remember to walk. My mother stopped us in front of a room. The window had been blocked out by something, what I would never know. "She's stable and the baby is healthy for being a little under a month early."

Baby? So they were both ok? Peeta hadn't been making stuff up? But it was a month early, what did that mean.

"But we're doing everything to make sure the baby stays that way." That last sentence proved it. Peeta had been wrong. Not completely wrong, but enough to make me question how long I'd been holding my breath. "Luckily, the Capitol had sent us equiptment when we first opened, so the baby is in an incubator, under strict survelliance to ensure nothing goes wrong. So far, he's remaining stable."

"Its a boy?" The words slipped from my mouth, and everyones attention turned to me. My mother rolled her eyes and opened the door. When did I become so interested in babies?

The room was nothing to brag about. It looked like it'd been an old storage room, a window busted into the wall to provide fresh air and sunlight. Annie layed on an old cot in the corner, her baby on the other side of the room in some weird plastic dome thing. Both of them were hooked up to monitors and machines. Things dripping into them. I briefly wondered if one of them were morphling, but shook the thought away. I'd never go back to that, and I never wanted anyone to experience it.

"Will she be able to come home? Why did she deliver him early?" I asked, staying close to the door. Peeta had let me go, and I was afraid to wander in closer. He on the other hand, was inspecting the baby who appeared to be sleeping.

"I'd give it a month or so. She wont want to leave her baby here so far away, and we refuse to let him leave for another month." My mother clarified. As if she needed to do that. I understood why they needed to stay. "As for the delivery. We're unsure. It's possible we predicted her due date later than it was supposed to, and the baby was born on time..." She trailed off.

"Or it was because she had to come back here." I finished. My mother nodded. "The stress?"

"I think that's the cause. We should've waited until closer to the date...but if he is on time, then you would've had to deal with her at home until I go there with the proper equiptment." She crossed her arms over her chest, looking down at Annie.

"I think I prefer this situation more." I say honestly. The last thing I needed was to help deliver a baby, let alone be any where near one.

My mom let out a small laugh. "I'm not sure which I prefer. Him being early, but being in the best care around, or him being on time, with the worst care around." I glared at my mom, but she was right. I probably would killed them both instead of helping.

"She's not that bad." Peeta spoke up. He was kneeling slightly, finger against the plastic near the baby's hand. "She did save me. Even if it cost me a leg." He swung his free hand down to tap on his leg.

"That's what I worry about. What would the cost have been to keep them alive?"

"He came out looking like a dog." I joke. Peeta and Haymitch laugh at that, my mother scowls at me. "What?"

"I'm glad they came here then. Obviously the option of you being around is not a good one." My mother goes over to Peeta to look at the baby, check his monitors and fluids.

So it didn't end as badly as I'd expected. I looked out the window, and the first thing I saw was not the sky, but the first snow fall.


	5. Chapter 5

Peeta and I wandered around what remained of District Four. It didn't get hit too hard from the revolution, but it was still hit none the less. Seeing snow was odd. I was so used to just seeing death all around, that this seemed somewhat...refreshing.

"I think this is sad." I spoke up, stopping in my tracks. Peeta gave me a confused look. "She has to be here all alone. I mean, not litterally, but Finnick isn't here. I'm sure this wouldn't have happened if he was. She would've returned to District Four the moment the war was over, because Finnick would've been here to keep her company. But he's not here now."

"I don't think she'll be sad. His hairs the same colour as Finnicks. Never opened his eyes though, so I don't know who's eyes he has." Peeta put his hands on his waist and looked up to the sky. "If anything, comming here brought a little piece of Finnick back. I'm sure once Annie gets a good look at him, she'll realize that too."

"He has hair? But he was just born!" I was shocked by this. I thought all babies were born funny looking and completely bald. What, was Peeta going to tell me he had teeth too?

"Some babies are born with hair. Both my brothers were. Annie's son doesn't have a lot of hair, but its still enough for you to notice it. Probably not where you were standing, but up close you can see it." Peeta nodded, like that explained everything and continued moving towards the ocean. I followed, not wanting to be left behind.

We were quiet until we got to the beach. No one was working. I assumed it was simply because of the time of year. That or they fished further out. Maybe we were on the wrong side of the body of water? I was sitting, digging my toes into the cold sand, Peeta tossing rocks out into the water when he asked me the most shocking question ever.

"Would you ever want kids?"

My reaction was a little too quick for him. "No. Never." The rocks stopped skipping across the waters surface, making me turn to look at him. For a moment, I saw hurt flash across his face, then the rocks were flying in the air again.

"Why not?"

This time, I took longer to answer. I knew the answer I'd given Gale wouldn't suffice. It didn't have meaning to it anymore. What was there for them to fear? For me to fear? The Hunger Games no longer existed, so I didn't have to worry about watching them die. "I don't think I would be able to raise kids." Those words didn't even seem to suffice, so I continued. "I mean, before it was because I didn't want to bring people into the world of The Hunger Games. But that's over now. I guess I just don't trust this world yet. I still don't want to bring something into a world as unstable as this. And I was already a mother to someone who ended up dying." I crossed my arms over my knee's and burried up to my nose in them.

"Its not as bad as you think. You'd have help too. I'd help you raise them." An invisible smile caught my lips, but it faded as quickly as it'd appeared. Here he was trying to convince me to have kids. "Not right now though. I don't think I'm ready to have kids quite yet. Maybe in a couple years." Sure, mention kids then back track a little.

"I think you're ready." I wouldn't let him get away that easily. "You were practically beaming and tripping over yourself when Annie was pregnant. Then you ran over to the baby and stared at him until we left. Have three. You'll be beside yourself with joy." I laughed.

"It's different when its someone else. Because you know that the person responsible for them will jump in when something goes wrong. Like when they're hungry or need to be changed, or put to bed. When its yours, you have to know when to do those things. When to jump in to ensure their survival." Peeta threw a handful of rocks into the water, obviously giving up on making them skip across the surface. "I want to wait until I know everything is sturdy enough in my life. That I'm not going to accidentally hurt them."

"I'll make sure you don't." We were making a triangle of trust here. I was going to make sure he didn't hurt them, while he was going to make sure I didn't kill them. Perfect. Victors through and through. "Alright, how about this; you're not allowed to ask me questions like this until your read to handle them yourself."

"Agreed. No more questions about babies until I can handle one myself. But that implies I need to already have one." Peeta raised an eyebrow at me, like he was attempting to get his way. I was stubborn, that he seemed to forget.

"Annie has one I'm sure she'd be glad to let you borrow for an hour." I offered, jabbing my finger in the direction of the Hospital. "If anything, I'm sure she'd be anxious to get an hour to herself!" I dodged a rock that was sent flying at my head. That boy had developed a bit of a tantrum since returning to me.

"Fine. You win. I wont say anything, implied or not, until I'm ready to face the music head on myself." Peeta huffed. "So, think we're going to be staying here until she can come home?"

I shook my head. I was unsure. So far, all that had happened since Lyme made her announcement was a big fat nothing. No, citizens had actually tried to start getting things together. The idea of recieving things only the Capitol had dreamed of stirred something inside everyone. Except me. I'd been stuck on the free health care for Victors. There were so few of us left. Many had sacrificed themselves during the revolution, and if I remembered correctly, only six of us remained. It was a small number for automatic healthcare, especially concidering the number of citizens who would already be entitled to this. For now, everyone got free healthcare. Most of the things Lyme had mentioned wouldn't take effect until January. Maybe we wouldn't be able to go back until the train was up and running? I'm sure the only reason we got a Hovercraft ride here was because we were Victors going to help another Victor. Special treatment of course. Doubt it would work to get back.

"I think so." I replied. "I doubt they'd get another Hovercraft just to take us home. Who knows. We might be here until January."

Peeta and I stayed quiet as we realized this. We might have to be here until the train is back up and running. Leaving my flowers to wilt and die made my heart ache. Leaving my house unattended that long seemed wrong as well. Mind you, I had done that before, but the entire District had been abandoned at the time.

"Well, I guess if it comes down to that, we rent a space here and make it cozy until we can return home." There was my Peeta. The one who always tried to make light of situations.

When we returned to the Hospital, Haymitch was waiting for us, back pressed against the wall, arms folded over his chest. "Don't you two learn anything?" He asked the moment he saw us. "You're supposed to bundle up in the winter." I rolled my eyes at this comment, but that wasn't why he was out here. We all knew already.

"What's wrong?" I asked, deciding to jump straight to the point.

"Well, both Annie and the baby are fine, so not that. We cant get you two a ride back until the trains are set up. They're more concerned with getting everything ready for the changes which will be imposed starting January. They're busy moving people around to train people in their districts, since so many people have decided to set up base else where." Haymitch explained.

"We figured that would be the case." Peeta spoke up. "So what now? Find some where that will take us in, or is there some where already?"

"That's what I was sent to talk to you guys about. Your mother has a place here, obviously. I don't think she ever planned to return to District Twelve. Since she knew you two wouldn't be able to return home anytime soon, she's offered up a room in her house. It'll be the four of us staying there, and she's only got three rooms. Apparently she was living with another girl who works here, but she volunteered to let me use her room while she stayed at a friends house." Haymitch shrugged.

"So basically mum gets a room, you get a room and Peeta and I share." I determined.

"Very deductive." Haymitch mocked. "Yes. She wants us to go over there and get things set up first. And to have supper ready." Haymitch exchanged a look with me. Neither of us really knew how to cook. Before Peeta started cooking for me, Greasy Mae would come over with soup or something for me. We both turned our attention to Peeta.

"Alright. But in exchange for cooking, I don't have to do any of the setting up." Peeta offered.

"Deal. I'd rather not touch cooking for a while." I held out a hand for him to shake. This was the best deal I'd been offered in a while. It wouldn't be that hard to set up our rooms while Peeta cooked us something good to eat. On that note, he never offered to teach me how to cook, and any time I asked, he always said no. "So, does this mean we also need to get some winter gear?" I inquired.

"Indeed it does. But that's a job for tomorrow. I'm sure your mother has something we can borrow to go shopping tomorrow." Haymitch pushed off the wall and started for my mothers place. Obviously he'd been told of its where abouts.

Well, this would be odd. Living with my mother for about four months. Early snow was even weirder, but still.


	6. Chapter 6

My mother's place was a small house squished inbetween bigger houses on the outskirts of the town. It looked old and run down from the outside, but on the inside it looked new. Almost like one of those houses from the Capitol. I had to remind myself that District four had been very close to the Capitol, so it was to be expected that they would have some similarities. Haymitch made himself right at home, wandering around the house and looking at every little thing. Peeta and I were a lot more timid, like we were afraid of leaving a mark some where. Like we were still in a war, and just our foot tracks would give us away.

"Well, the rooms are up here." Haymitch pointed up a long flight of stairs. From the bottom, they seemed to just go to the wall, but Haymitch went around a corner, which indicated that it was two flights instead of just one. I groaned at the thought of having to climb up and down more than five stairs every day.

The stairs opened up into a long hallway with two doors on either side. Haymitch pointed out that the first to our left was my mothers, and the first on the right was open. The door after my mothers was the washroom, and across from that was another empty room, though it was apparent this one belonged to my mothers room mate. Obviously this would be Haymitch's. I looked back down the hall at where Peeta and I would be staying. I didn't like the idea of having the room across from my mother, but sooner or later I would have to face her.

"We can trade, if that makes you feel better." The offer suprised me. Coming from Haymitch, it meant a lot. I looked around stunned for a moment, not sure where I should look. Peeta? Haymitch? The rooms? Finally, I let them rest on Haymitch.

"No, its ok. Either way, I'll have to face my mother at some point. This one just means its a little more frequently. But I'm living at her house, so it's to be expected." I replied. "Plus, the room mate offered her room to you, not us."

"Not exactly, but if that's how you feel, I wont argue with you." Haymitch raised his hands, turning to what would be his room for a while. "She offered it up, but she never said I was the one who had to use it."

Now I turned to Peeta. He shrugged. This made no difference to him, where he slept. Either way, he would be bunking with me. Our times in the games proved just how difficult it could be to bunk with Haymitch. Even the time between the games had proved that just as well, if not better. Our room was spotless, sporting a twin sized bed, a dresser, and a closet. Even though there were only two people living here, the bed was still made. Eagerly I took a seat on it, before laying down. I was staring at the roof when I felt Peeta settle down on the bed.

"I don't want to be here." I told him. "I'd much rather walk home than stay here for so long." I rubbed at my face with both of my hands. "This isn't my home."

"I know its not, but our home is going to be ok. Probably a little dusty when we get home, but I think we have more than enough free time to fix that." Peeta pointed out. "It'll help occupy our time if anything."

"Not if we have to get a job. Then it'll just continue to be dusty for the most part." I had a valid point. Come January, we were probably going to be expected to get jobs. And what would we do for a living? No way Peeta was going to work in the mines. I wouldn't allow it, and I was sure he would never concider it. Perhaps Peeta would become a baker. That was one thing he was good at. Me on the other hand? I was only good at hunting, and I wasn't sure what kind of income that would bring me.

"Its not like we'll be working all day every day. And I doubt we'll be expected to find jobs immediatly. Lyme isn't that mean. She'll probably give a grace period for people to find employment, or for opportunities to arise." Peeta said.

"What about in District Twelve? What kind of jobs are available there?" I locked eyes with Peeta before he looked away. We both knew what kind of jobs were available there, and unless Lyme was working to create new jobs in the districts, those jobs would always be there.

"We have some amazing builders and archetects." Peeta offered. "And hunters." He looked at me with a grin, which provoked me to slap his hand.

"Bakers too." I replied, returning his grin. Now he tried to slap my hand, but I tugged it out of his reach before he could get me.

"I'm not that great."

"Here we go again. This isn't the Hunger Games Peeta. We're not trying to impress anyone. On that note, your baking has impressed my stomach time and time again." I sat up and streched a little.

"Any food impresses your stomach. It doesn't even have to be good." Peeta argued.

"You can lift a sack of flower over your head. You proved your strength. I was right then, and I'm right now. Just accept the fact that the odds are ever in your favour." No matter what, those words would never disappear. I could imagine children saying it when I become old. They'd run down the streets saying it, but never knowing what it means. At least, that's what I hoped. If those domes got destroyed, the meaning of those words might fade as well.

"Fine. I'll believe you this once." Peeta said, then noticed the look on my face. "What are you thinking?"

"Just about the words." I replied. "'May the odds be ever in your favour.'" I explained when he seemed a little confused. "I was thinking about the future, and how the kids will probably never know what they mean. They'll be running around saying them without a clue about how much pain that brought us. How angry we would get hearing the Capitol people saying them, but how much we joked around with them before the games."

"If the domes got destroyed, right?" Peeta finished, seeing where I was going with this. "Some how, I don't think they will." Peeta pressed his lips together, staring out in the distance. "I know you want them destroyed, and I've had enough time to figure out why, to really take in your side. But that doesn't mean I've changed my mind. I still think they should remain, just altered. Visuals mean more than just words, and it could really enrich their history if people are able to go and visit them, see what kind of horrible things people had to go through, what some of the Victors in the Revolution had to endure." Peeta let out a long sigh before he continued. "I also don't think they'll get destroyed because people are so used to them being around."

I concidered this for a moment. He had a point. The only reason people were changing now, was because of rules Lyme was implimenting, things that she was forcing to change. If she hadn't, no one would've complained, no one would've done anything. For all we know, the Hunger Games could've continued, and no one would try to stop them. So why was this any different? Lyme was not forcing them to be destroyed, forcing people to choose their distruction. She was giving them the choice to have them destroyed, or to keep them around. If they had the choice, they would most likely not vote, or simply vote yes to keep from having to deal with them.

"They would create more jobs if left alone." I pointed out. "Not that I would conicder that for an occupation, but still. I just...it seems wrong to me. I get where you're going. Lyme isn't forcing them to choose the domes destruction. She's giving them a choice, so they'll probably vote for what ever has the smallest impact on their daily lives. Leaving them alone would do just that."

"Then you know what we need to do right?" Peeta asked. I shook my head. What did we need to do? "We need to get a hole of Lyme and set out some ground rules. We have the majority of the Victors here in District Four right now. She cannot ignore us if all four of us wish for the same thing."

"If we're all wishing for specific alterations." The realization was staggering. I lept off the bed and dashed for Haymitch's room. "Haymitch!" I called, using the door frame to stop me. He raised his head off of the bed, glaring down at me. "We need your help."

"Now?" He complained. Obviously he had been attempting to sleep. Perhaps he was a little hungover, but that could wait.

"Yes now." I rolled my eyes at him. "We're going to talk with Lyme about having the domes altered in specific ways if the motion passes to keep them." Peeta came up behind me. He knew where I was going with this.

"We need someone who is able to keep her from changing what we are saying, bending it to fit her shedual. You're the only one we know who's good at talking with people and getting what he wants." Peeta said.

"Actually, I believe that one is on you, lover boy." Haymitch corrected, and layed his head back down. "You two got this. Just call me if she wishes to talk to me."

"Haymitch." I whined. "We need you to know what to say. One wrong move and we're dead." I was trying to use the same words he'd said to me before the victors ceremony after the games. Slowly, he raised his head to glare at me again. He saw what I was doing.

"Ok, ok! What do you want me to do." Haymitch pushed himself up off the bed and started towards us.

"Find something to write with and lots of paper. We need to get down as many alterations on paper as possible, and then create concrete dialogue to say, to have the same thing incase she decides to ask all of us. Annie's the only one I don't think we have to worry about. For one, she's in the Hospital, and for two, she doesn't talk." I said, starting into the plan that was unfoiling in my head. "I have a feeling, even though its Lyme, if our words dont match exactly with one anothers, she'll use which ever benefits her and the rest of Panem. That's why I want to jot down ideas, start writing out dialogue, and getting everything concrete before we talk to her. And I want this done before December."

Now both Haymitch and Peeta looked at me, but it was Peeta who spoke up. "Why?"

"January's too late. The decision would've been made, and I doubt she would be willing to announce the alterations to the domes at that point in time. She might agree to a few of them, but not all of them. November and October are too early. December gives us enough time to figure out what we're going to say, and memorize it, while also giving us enough time to barter with her, and make sure she keeps her word. Plus, we can always tell her if she doesn't fall through with our demands, we'll blow them all up, regardless of wether or not the domes are full or empty."

Haymitch's eyes widened at my words. "What are you thinking? If we say that she'll think we've gone mad and lock us up! I know she's not Coin, but that doesn't mean she can't act like her."

"No, I think she has a point. Lyme was in the Games just like us. I think she would understand where we are coming from. Not that we are defying the Government, but just how much we dislike the Domes. How much fear they've created, hurt and anger. If we inform her that we're willing to destroy them, no matter the cost, she'll take us more seriously and work to make sure our demands are followed as closely as possible. She'll understand just how much we want them to be mere pieces of art work, than a weapon." Peeta explained. He was completely on my side, and this made me relax.

Haymitch rubbed at his chin, thinking this over a bit. "Alright, but we're voicing it like Peeta did. I still feel like she'd kill us if we told her we'd blow up the domes while they're still occupied." He met my gaze long and hard, showing just how powerful simple sentence structure could be.

"Agreed. We start on this tomorrow." I announced. Haymitch nodded, then returned to his bed. Peeta and I followed suit.

It wasn't over. The war had ended, but we were still fighting battles of our own. Battles we were not willing to give up.


	7. Chapter 7

We spent the next couple months working out our lines, reciting them to eachother and making alterations when we would come up with the wrong idea. I never thought it would end up being this hard, but at the same time, I was glad it wasn't an easy task. Even my mother would join in and help us when she had time. Though none of her daughters died in the games, she still didn't want Rue's death to be made a mockery any longer. She was sure no one was able to go in there and re-create her death the way it had been done. Instead, it was probably altered to be more entertaining, which it never was. None of the tributes deaths were entertaining, and should never be made to look that way.

When November finally rolled around, I voiced an idea that had been running through my head since we'd talked about removing the imitation of the deaths. "I want the attack on the Capitol to be remembered as an arena. To have something errected there with the names of the fallen." I said in the middle of some alterations.

"I think there should be monuments errected in every district with the names of the fallen on them." Haymitch said. "Maybe more than one. One to list tributes who lost their lives, and one to list citizens who lost their lives in the revolution." Once again, this man managed to surprise me. He was saying things I expected to come from Peeta's mouth, but instead they were coming from Haymitch's.

"I think that's a good idea. Even if we can only convince her to put one up in each district, the tributes should be separated from the citizens. They had no choice. It was go and be killed, or stay and have everyone you love killed." Peeta said, before he realized what he said. "And the families of tributes too. Both should be listed." Peeta looked over at Haymitch. We'd told him what Snow had been doing with Victors. How they were basically novelties to the Capitol, and that we had been no different. How Haymitch had lost everyone he loved because he'd refused to co-operate.

"Good. Some deserve their own place away from the normal citizens." Haymitch nodded. "Where would your sister fall?" Both Peeta and Haymitch looked to me. We all knew how important she was to me, and how important the placing of her name would be.

"Tribute." I said. "If we cannot get one errected in the Capitol where she and many others were killed, she definatly deserves to be placed under Tribute on District Twelves." I didn't need to explain it. When we were still in District Thirteen, Finnick and I had seen it on the screen. What the Capitol really looked like. A map for a new Hunger Games. If that was the case, then Peeta and I had managed to survive another Hunger Games, but Finnick hadn't, and neither had my sister, or many others who would have been concidered Tributes. "There will be a lot of people who would be concidered Tributes from the bombing in the Capitol."

"Your sister, and Finnick yes, but who else?" Haymitch asked in a confused tone.

"Everyone who was on the squad with us and died. Anyone who was part of the revolutionary movement who died, and the people locked in the circle who died. Everyone else were simply citizens caught in the crossfire." I explained.

"Why the citizens in the circle?" Peeta wondered. "Why are they concidered Tributes?"

"I believe they weren't just randomly picked. They'd said they were opening up the mansion to take in refugees, but only a handful of them actually made it to that square, and many of them were children." I pointed out. "If they'd allowed more people to get in there, I would have just concidered them people caught in the crossfire. But the fact that some of our rebels were in there means that it was planed. We know it was planed, and Games are always planed."

"I see. Then we will have to find their names so that they may be added to our list of Tributes." Haymitch said. "Well, do you think we have everything planned out then? I think we can leave the monuments to you, since that was your idea."

I looked down at the paper in front of me. We had many things on here that we were going to discuss with Lyme. The deaths, zoning of certain area's, the creation of an information only idea for the domes, memorials in each dome to allow visitors information on each tribute and victor, information on that years games. And now we had the monuments to talk about. I ran through the words on my paper quickly before jotting down some information on the monuments so I wouldn't forget. It was early still, but we'd agreed that if we got them down and finalized early, we would call Lyme and start our negotiations.

"I think so. I really would like to talk to her in person instead of over the phone though." I say, feeling a little defeated. The trains were in a testing phase at the moment, and citizens were not allowed to ride them. Victors were forbidden to ride them more so than normal citizens. In the end, we were still stuck here, and no matter what, we hadn't been able to convince the engeneers to let us ride the train to the Capitol just this once. They must've been given very strict orders.

"We all know how impossible that is at the moment, but perhaps when its closer to January, they'll allow us to ride the train, and we can discuss this in person with her then. Until that point in time, over the phone will have to suffice." Haymitch said. "So, ready to give her a call?"

Now I just felt nervous, like I was going to get sick every where. Very unbecomming of a Victor, but I swallowed it down and nodded. Haymitch picked up the reciever and dialed the number before handing me the phone. Each ring seemed to take centuries, but eventually a young woman answered. She was the secretary for Lyme.

"May I speak with President Lyme please?" I asked in the nicest voice I could muster, since I was still scared to the point of wetting myself. The last thing I wanted was to sound mean instead of scared, but even the latter was out of the question. The girl on the other end hesitated for a moment.

"I'm sorry, but the President is very busy. Are you calling to vote on the domes?" She asked, trying to sound as polite as possible. Apparently she got a lot of calls asking for Lyme.

"Some what yes. This is Katniss Everdeen speaking, and I wish to speak with President Lyme about them. Actually, its not just me who wishes. Haymitch, Annie and Peeta Mellark, past Victors would also like to speak to her." Hopefully that would work. Once again she stayed quiet a moment, and I could just imagine her rubbing at her temple.

"I'm sorry, but even if you are Katniss Everdeen, the President is still busy and is unable-" The phone was ripped from my hand as Haymitch took the phone, seeing how frusterated I was getting with this person.

"Put Lyme on the damned phone or I'll hijack a train and come see you personally you got that?" Haymitch said, sounding a little more than ticked off. I held my ear close to the reciever so I could hear everything that went on.

"Excuse me?" She replied, sounding baffled. "How dare you-"

"Are you deaf woman? I said put Lyme on the damned phone or else. I'd hate to see how she reacted to you refusing to put a past Victor on the phone, let alone the girl who made the revolution possible."

"I'm sorry, but she is busy." The girl said in an exasperated tone.

"So am I missy. Busy waiting for a train so I can come down there and kick your-" Haymitch snarled, but someone else came on the phone.

"Haymitch are you fighting with my secretary?" We heard the girl gasp in the background.

"Well, she started it. We wanted to talk with you about the domes, but according to her, you're far too busy to speak with us." Haymitch replied.

"Busy yes, but I've always got time to speak with you." Lyme said.

"Good, tell her that. Now, I'll pass you off to Katniss, since she's the one who came up with the idea."

"Alright." Lyme replied as Haymitch gave me the phone.

"Lyme?" I asked. I knew it was her, but that seemed like the proper thing to do.

"Yes, Katniss? What is it you wished to speak to me about?"

I cleared my throat, spreading the paper out in front of me so I wouldn't miss any of the words. "I wanted to talk about the future of the domes, if they aren't destroyed that is."

"Go on. I'd like to hear what you have to say."

"Right. Well, Peeta, Haymitch, Annie and myself have been working on things we want put in place if they are voted to remain. First, we want the idea of being able to re-inact deaths abolished. We think its cruel, and rude to the memories of those who lost their lives to have their deaths re-inacted like a game. Its a mockery if anything." I said.

"Ok, hold on one moment while I get a pen and paper. I'll assume this is going to be a long and thought out list, and you'll want them followed properly." This suprised me. I hadn't expected her to be willing to follow them so readily. I was expecting a fight. "So, first on the list, abolishing the re-inactment of deaths. Ok, next?"

"I want memorials resurrected where tributes were killed, with something saying how they were killed, and something to remember them by, along with a picture of them, their age, and what district they were from." I paused, giving her enough time to jot the information down. "And for these area's to be unaccessable by visitors."

"Visitors?" Lyme questioned. "I assume you have something concerning that as well. Carry on."

"I do. I wish for the domes to become a source of information on our history only. Visitors will be able to wander the domes freely, minus area's that are zoned off to keep from having it disturbed, and see what tributes had to face. But the domes will be completely safe, unless certain things are unable to be disarmed, then that area will be zoned off to keep them safe."

"So, you wish to have information booths, or something of the sort, in certain area's to say what happened there when the dome was active, so to speak, and what tributes had to endure while alive?" Lyme asked, looking to get as much information as she could.

"Yes. Basically, anything that would be benefitial on keeping the history of the Hunger Games as accurate as possible is what we are aiming for. We want citizens to know how horrible the games were, and how glamourized they were made to be, even though it was a death match." I said, agreeing with where she was going with this.

"Would you like something errected to show the reaping of tributes, as well as the opening and victors ceremonies?" Lyme asked. We hadn't thought about this, but in terms of knowing the history, this seemed like a good idea.

"That would be wonderful. Any footage you have on the Games should be included. Have an area to replay the entire thing if you need to, but if you feel it will just provoke someone to try and re-create the Games, then leave them out. Don't destroy the footage though, they may be of value in the future." I said. The last thing I wanted was for the last footage of Rue to disappear. Lyme agreed to this, and I carried on. "I want the bombing in the Capitol to also be remembered as a Game." I was met with a long pause before she told me to continue. "Anyone who died in that circle will be concidered a Tribute, and their name will be recorded on a monument in that circle. Everyone else who died will be concidered a citizen, and will also be recorded."

"So you wish for different catagories for the deaths?" Lyme questioned.

"Yes. I wish for monuments for all the fallen to be errected in each District, that way no one shall be forgotten, even if the domes are destroyed." I said.

"Listed in the same fashion as the one in the Capitol?"

"Exactly like the one in the Capitol." I nodded, checking off the area's I'd gotten through on my list. Lyme asked for me to continue. "Finally, if the domes are voted to be left alone, I want it to be mandatory for students to attend the domes. Section them out so that different grade levels visit different Domes. I know there would be no way a class could visit all seventy-six of them in a year."

"Of course. Did you have anything in mind for how to section them off?" Lyme asked.

"No. But if you want, I can start making something up and have it ready for you by January."

"I would like that. Now, if I may, would it be alright if I made some altercations to your demands? Of course, I will pass them through the four of you before making them law." Lyme asked. Now this is what I'd expected.

"What did you have in mind?" I asked.

"Nothing in terms to what you've set down, but if I come up with more to add to your list is what I meant." Lyme clarified. "I see nothing wrong with these, but I will have to bring them up to the council of course. If they see anything wrong with them, I'll make sure to take everything down and contact you immediatly, or if we come up with revisions we wish to add to your list."

"I think that sounds like a good idea." I smile. Good, she was on our side. I feared having become President would have distorted her views on the Domes and of having been a Victor, but it hadn't. If anything, it'd strengthened her views.

"Then I will bid you good bye, and get to work on setting these in motion." We said our good-byes and hung up.

"Looks like everythings going to work out." Peeta said.

"Lets hope so."

With January fast approaching, we knew if these went through, many of the citizens would be hired to alter the domes, as well as create things for future visitors. While I was still against the domes staying, the alterations made it a little more easier on me. If everything went well, I would have to start visiting the domes myself.


	8. Chapter 8

The first thing I did was get Haymitch and Annie to vote on the state of the Domes, quickly followed by Peeta and I. Haymitch and Annie sided with me, while Peeta voted for them to remain where they stood. Surely our votes would not mean more than the average citizens, but one could only wonder. The government was still corrupt in its ways, it just figured out new ways to hide that, and while I hated thinking that with Lyme as President, it was still true.

By the end of December, the trains were up and running again, and Peeta, Haymitch and I all returned home, while Annie stayed in District Four. I'd pleaded with my mother to keep me updated on her, asking that she call back at least once every two weeks to keep me posted, and while she agreed, it didn't make leaving any easier.

The first night without Annie was weird. I'd awoken in the middle of the night to find myself standing in front of the room I know knew as Annie's. She wasn't there and I knew it, but I'd still had to convince myself that I hadn't heard her call my name, or ask for a glass of water. She was far away and I had to deal with that. This time, I heard Peeta's footsteps approaching me and I held myself, eyes staring intently at her bed.

"What are you doing up?" Peeta asked, wrapping his arms around my shoulders. I rested my chin on them, letting my eyes lower.

"I'm not used to Annie being gone." I told him. "I'm so used to having her around, to hear her timidly ask for something in the middle of the night."

"She's ok though. And sooner or later she was going to move out. It wasn't perminate Katniss." His words made me press my lips together. Some how, I'd hoped it would've been. That she would've stayed here with us forever.

"I know." I whispered after a moment. "I've grown used to people leaving." I shrugged out of his embrace and headed back to our room. I wasn't mad at him, but I was still upset. Everyone that I ever loved left me in one form or another.

First, it was Rue. I'd loved her like I'd loved Prim, and then I'd lost her, had to watch her die. Next was Peeta. Twice for him. Once when the forcefield had killed him, and the other when he'd been Hijacked. From there, the bodies kept piling up. Finnick, Mags, Cinna, Portia, Boggs, Mayor Undersee, Madge, Peeta's family and Gale. I knew there were more, but thinking about them pained me, including the ones who were still alive but no longer with me.

The next morning Peeta surprised me. I'd awoken long after him to the sound of pots and pans banging around in the kitchen. With a slight groan I'd forced myself out of bed and down the stairs. In the kitchen, Peeta had ingredients and pots every where, and when he heard me, he turned to beam at me, a little flour splotched on his cheek. "Morning!" He chimed, making me smile while giving him a confused look.

"What are you doing?" I asked, chuckling a little as I walked closer to him.

"I thought I'd show you how to make pie." Peeta stated simply, turning back to his mess. "Since showing you how to make your buns is out of the question. Have to keep something to myself."

I laughed at this. "Ok. Maybe I'll show you how to hunt then." I looked around at what he had going on. Surely he had too much stuff out to be making a pie.

"Good. I need some berries for the filling. We seem to have run out at some point." Peeta sighed heavily before turning around a couple times, looking to see where everything had go to, then spoke up again. "We'll have to make the crust from scrach, but it'll keep us busy and give us enough time to gather some berries."

"From scratch?" I was confused by this. The pies I'd gotten were already cooked, and I'd assumed pie crust just came how I saw it. Minus the filling, which I'd assumed needed to be added at some point.

"Yeah. Its not that hard. You just need some lard, sugar, eggs, a bit of milk and some salt. Well, a bit more than that, but we'll get there when it comes to it." Peeta nodded as he started to organize the table to make room for teaching me this little art of his.

"So explain to me why I can't know how to make my buns?" I inquired as he started to sprinkle some flour over an area of the table. Surely he would explain this to me, but I knew it was to keep the dough from sticking to the table. That my father had explained to me all those years ago.

"What fun is it if you can make them on your own? I want there to be one good reason why you like me." Peeta joked.

"Oh, and that's a good reason?" I joked back. He just smiled at me, and I returned it.

"Ok, so I want you to cube up this lard in that bowl here. I already measured everything for you to help with the learning process, and I will be writing it all out so you have something to remind you." Peeta said, handing me the lard and a knife. Why he wanted it cubed, I wouldn't know, but he would tell me I was sure. He was teaching me after all.

"Ok." I replied, dumping it into the bowl. Cubing it proved to be hard work, but I was determined. After my fathers death, there wasn't much that could stop me. Not even being thrown in the Hunger Games, having people trying to kill you while you run on a burned leg with one of your ears blown out. Nope. Nothing was stopping this tank.

"Smaller pieces." Peeta said looking over at my bowl. I huffed at that, but did as he said. "Then you'll want to add all the dry ingredients to it. So sugar, salt, flour, that stuff, and then mix it all together until it looks even." Peeta made sure to point to each item I was to add as he said them. Like I didn't know what was dry and what was wet. I allowed him his little moment, but he'd pay for it when I taught him how to hunt. Maybe. Having the extra help would be nice.

"Ok. This is easier than I thought." I said, adding all the ingredients to my bowl. Mixing this was easier than cubing that damned lard, and there was no way I was looking forward to doing that again. Unless Peeta was making pie, this would be a luxury in our house. No way I was going out of my way to make pie at random.

"It'll get harder, trust me." Peeta joked. He was cracking eggs into a bowl, then dumping them into another, one by one. I was curious about this, and stared intently as he did it. "This is how you make sure you get the shells out." He stated as he scooped out a piece of shell from the egg he'd just cracked. I nodded slowly, like this was starting to make sense and was very interesting. Granted, it was.

From there, Peeta made me mix all the ingredients together, dry and wet. He was right. It did get harder. I now understood where he got his strength from. If not from heaving flour around, it was from mixing dough for the bakery. I could only imagine how much of it they'd made on a regular basis. Bread, pies, buns, who knew what else. Doing this every day for an hour or so was sure to give me muscles. I was starting to re-think making pies every once in a while. If I made them on a regular basis, I'd be able to carry a full grown deer home all by myself. I smiled at that thought.

It turns out mixing the dough was easier than kneeding it. Peeta showed me how to do it, and even helped me a little on getting the right rythm and using my hands properly, but the moment his hands were gone from mine, it felt like I was trying to mould the ground. He made it seem so easy, and laughed at my struggles. Eventually he took over and finished kneeding it for me.

"Ok, so now we let that set for a bit in the fridge, and go gather some berries. By the time we get back it'll be ready for another kneeding, then we can roll it out to make the crust and bake it." Peeta beamed.

"So I'm teaching you how to gather today?" I inquired.

"No. I already know how to do that, but a day in the forest is nice. Might as well bring your hunting stuff so we can get some meat if any decides to scoot by. We're running low on that too. I had to throw out a bunch this morning because it went bad." I grimaced at this. All my hard work to stock up the fridge, and now it was garbage. I knew why though. Wild meat only kept in the fridge for so long, and we'd been gone for almost four months. There was no way it all would've kept. I was surprised even some of it had survived, but it would have to be eaten soon, since I figured it wouldn't last much longer.

"Sad that we had to waste so much. I feel like a Capitol citizen now. Those people go through food like it grows on trees." I commented, grabbing my bow from the closet. I'd long since stopped keeping it in the forest, since it was no longer illegal to hunt on the land. Lyme had long since abolished that law, and the wires around Districts were only turned on at night to help keep preditors out. During the day, the Districts were lively enough that they stayed away, but at night they'd started to show up. I'd assumed it was because of the bombing and the way the town had looked before it'd been rebuilt. The animals must have moved in while District Twelve was refuged in District Thirteen, and had left when we returned in a swarm. From what I'd heard, Districts who were heavily damaged during the war were experiencing the same thing, and their fences were turned on at night as well. There were only three Districts who's fences never turned on. One, Two and Four.

"Agreed. And you worked hard to get it, but I have an idea for what's left of the meat for tonight, so at least it all wasn't a waste." Peeta told me.

"Good. Well, lets get going then." I pulled open the door and skipped out. Today was sure to be an interesting day.


End file.
